The following letter was penned by Hon. Charles Henry Winfield (1822-1888), an attorney and former district attorney of Orange county, New York who was elected to the US Congress as a democrat in 1863 and served two terms.

The content of the letter pertains to the appointment of Daniel S. Hardenburg (1840-1908) as an Assistant Surgeon in the 56th New York Infantry. Daniel was the son of Dr. Charles Hardenburgh (1802-1874) and Mary E. Chandler (1815-18xx) of Port Jervis, Orange county, New York. According to military records, Daniel received his appointment on 11 November 1863 and that he participated in the Battle of Honey Hill and all of the battles accompanying Gen. John P. Hatch’s Expedition up Red River and the siege of Charleston, South Carolina. He later became the post surgeon at Georgetown, South Carolina.

[Note: This letter is from the personal collection of Kyle Williams and was made available for transcription and publication on Spared & Shared by express consent.]

Transcription

Goshen [Orange county, New York]
November 2, 1863

Dear Dan,

I wrote in due time to Gov. [Horatio] Seymour and last week during my absence in Sullivan county, there came for me a dispatch from the Governor stating that if you would come on to Albany and be examined and stand examination, you would be commissioned as Assistant Surgeon of the 56th Regiment.

This morning however at the same time I received your line enclosing one from [Solomon] Van Etten, I received a letter from Doctor [John Van Pelt] Quackenbush, Surgeon General of the State, informing me that your matter had been placed in his hands and he would very willingly send you a commission, but he had no information from the 56th Regiment of any vacancy, &c.

I wrote him immediately informing him of Van Etten’s letter and what he said about vacancies in his own regiment as well as the 48th and 118th and asked his advice as to what we should do, and I shall hear from him soon. In the mean while write me and advise me of what you hear and I will do anything you desire.

I wrote in great haste and you must excuse style and composition. Your friend, — C. H. Winfield

[to] Dr. D. S. Hardenburg